1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a simulator for estimating life of a robot speed reducer arranged with respect to an individual axis of the robot.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, reduction of the cycle time of a robot system to increase production has been demanded. However, increasing the speed of a robot, leads to a decrease in the life of a speed reducer of the robot. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-107767 discloses monitoring a load exerted on a driving system of a robot to estimate the life of the system.
Adjustment of the operation program of a robot to extend the life of a speed reducer of the robot has also been demanded. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-054942 discloses correcting a robot operation program made offline. However, correction of the speed and/or the acceleration of a robot in the operation program changes the path of the robot.
Therefore, the corrected operation program is further corrected before the actual use of the corrected program to avoid interference with peripheral devices by the robot. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-175130 discloses resolving deviation in the path of a robot. A method for fixing the path of a robot to allow use of the corrected operation program without further correction has also been demanded.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simulator for estimating a life of a robot speed reducer arranged with respect to an individual axis of the robot, based on the robot operation program, and for extending the life of the speed reducer without changing the robot path.